


Side:Ridiculous - Wanna Sprite Cranberry?

by Mitsuboshi



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Christmas, Gen, KFC, SideM Secret Santa 2018, Sprite Cranberry, product placement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 08:25:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17158610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitsuboshi/pseuds/Mitsuboshi
Summary: As Chris is being filmed for a holiday commercial, he and the rest of Legenders will discover what's important during the most thirstiest time of the year.





	Side:Ridiculous - Wanna Sprite Cranberry?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nerav](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerav/gifts).



> Written for nerav for twitter's SideM secret santa! Just part 1 of my gift to them! I know this is a more ridiculous story, but hope you enjoy it!

Christmas was a time to celebrate many things. Family. Loved ones. Close friends. It’s meaning was different for everyone, but at its core, everyone could agree on one thing: Christmas was a time for shopping.

People running about to buy gifts that were extra special for that special someone. And for this time of year, what better way to embrace the capitalist meaning of Christmas than to partake in the well-oiled machine of advertisement. No matter what it was, forces were at work to make even an eraser look extra festive for the holidays, and entice the masses to buy these products for whomever.

And it just so happened that this year, a certain idol from 315 was in the process of filming for a particular holiday ad.

In a nice, fancy looking dining hall, lit by a large chandelier, a tall man with long blonde hair sat at the end of a large table. He wore a highly expensive suit, sitting patiently with his eyes close. Within this high-class setting, others were gathered at the table, with festive decorations hung along the walls, and even a Christmas tree was off to the side, indicating that it was Christmas time, and not some other holiday.

Before the man, a fancy feast was presented on the table. A side of salad, a small chocolate cake, but the main dish was all the more striking: a full plate of fried chicken. And next to it, a large red bucket filled with more of the fried food. Predominantly featured on the bucket was an old man with glasses and a white beard, wearing a Santa hat and enclosed in a wreath. And no, this was not Santa Claus.

The man sitting at the table opened his eyes, looking intimately at the fried chicken. Delicately he took a wing off the plate, and brought it close to his mouth. He sank his teeth into the crispy, golden surface, stripping off a morsel of the meat. He chewed slowly, producing a faint crunch. The man nodded with a look of satisfaction, thrilled by the taste of eleven herbs and spices infused into the chicken. Everyone else present at the table also started eating their chicken, each of them highly pleased with their food as well. After swallowing the bite he took, the man started to speak.

“I knew it! Kentucky! Such a wonderful feast is perfect for Christmas, yes? Experience the holiday spirit with KFC this year with our annual party box! Share it with your friends and family!

“Remember,” before he continued, he stood up, everyone else that was gathered stood up as well, and joined him as he said his final line. “Kentucky is Christmas!”

“Cut! That was perfect!”

Taking a deep breath, Chris Koron tried to relax as the filming for the commercial ended. The director exchanged a few words of praise, even as the ocean loving man humbly told him that he was just doing his best. Once he was done, he happily made his way to where his producer, as well as his fellow unit members and friends, waited.

“Producer! How did I do?”

“Hehe, why are you asking them?” Sora said with an amused giggle. “You heard the director. You were perfect up there~”

“Indeed,” Amehiko said, nodding in agreement. “You handled yourself pretty well.”

Chris rubbed the back of his head, slightly abashed. “Oh come on now....”

“I agree,” his producer said with a reassuring smile. “You handled yourself quite nicely with the commercial. Makes me want to get a bucket of KFC myself.”

“Producer... Everyone...” Chris had been an idol for a long while now, and from that span of time he had already done plenty of jobs involving acting and photo shoots beyond his normal idol routine on stage. But to hear that he handled whatever came his way splendidly just reaffirmed Chris’ belief that he had grown since starting out. “I very much appreciate your praise!”

The producer smiled. “I need to got to talk to the director about something for a bit,” they said as they began to take walk away. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

As the three members of Legenders watched them leave, Amehiko shifted his gaze back onto the set Chris was just on. Noticing the interest he had, Sora started talking to him. “Amehiko-san?” He called out. “Is everything alright?”

“Me?” The tall man snapped out of it, and looked back down at Sora. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just curious, is all...”

Sora couldn’t help but be intrigued. “Curious?”

“Well, this whole commercial Koron was shooting had me wondering... do people really buy this for Christmas?”

“I personally don’t partake in it myself,” Chris entered the conversation. “But Kentucky Fried Chicken has been a tradition in Japan for some time.”

“As long as I can remember,” Sora added. He mentally recalled the long lines at KFCs he passed by during past Christmases, whole families waiting eagerly out in the snow for their own party box to take home. “For me, it’s kind of hard  _not_ to associate Christmas with KFC....”

“Is that so...” Amehiko trailed off. The former janitor had noticed that people did go out of their way to buy such greasy fast food around the holidays. But only when he  _really_ thought about it, that he realized it was more pervasive than he realized.

“Personally I would rather cook a nice feast than wait to buy food at a restaurant,” Chris said. “Nothing wrong with fried chicken, but you simply cannot beat a nice sizzling plate of paella. Especially on a cold, winter’s night!”

“Heh, you trying to make us hungry?” Amehiko teased. “Although, it’s fascinating Koron. In spite of your usual taste in food, you end up being the face of this fried chicken commercial.”

“Chris merely shrugged. “It was producer who found me this job.”

“Just interesting, that’s all.”

“It makes you think though...” Sora added in. “You’re promoting a brand and its product that has become ingrained in Japanese society, made for a specific time of year.... It isn’t a religion, yet people line up almost religiously for that party box every Christmas....”

“Oh?” Chris grew more intrigued at what Sora was getting at. “What is it that you think, Sora?”

“Just that... the ‘tradition’ of KFC during Christmas was peddled by the business itself. It generates the company large amounts of money each year. Essentially, it was created to cash in on a holiday.”

Both Amehiko and Chris were slightly struck by their young member’s observation. “It is true...” Chris began. “Many companies do advertise specific items and services themed after Christmas... but KFC’s impact is profoundly true!”

“When you put it that way,” Amehiko began. “It almost feels a bit sinister....”

“Now, now,” Sora tried to brush it off. “It’s natural for companies to do that. And look, we’ve starred in advertisements for stuff like this before. We’re idols after all~”

“But still...” Chris showed some doubt. Did he play a part in perpetuating such a highly manufactured tradition? One which had cemented itself in the minds of Japanese citizens everywhere? Where they willingly waited in massive lines, happy to hand over 4000 yen, just for a bucket of fried chicken? This revelation hit at something deeper. Tapping into the dilemma of today’s society. Had the people been tricked by these corporations to buy their products, simply in the guise of ‘tradition’ and ‘holiday spirit’? Did everyone around the world forget what Christmas was truly about?

As he grappled with the terrifying implications, a commotion at the opposite end of the room caused Chris to snap out of his thoughts, and all of Legenders directed their attention to the noise.

“It’s him!” Someone cried.

The three men went closer to a crowd gathered near a door. They were all confused at what had everyone excited. They could even see Producer was quite eager as well. No one seemed to make clear on who this guy might possibly be, but the men of Legenders didn’t need to wait long.

The door abruptly busted open, a tall, foreign man stood at the doorway, sipping on a red can. Amehiko and Sora had no clue who could this be, but to their surprise, Chris’ eyes were wide open, shocked as he recognized the man.

“LEBRON JAMES!?”

LeBron smiled and gave a nod. “Wanna Sprite Cranberry?”

He twirled a can of the aforementioned drink on the tip of his finger, then proceeded to throw it over to Chris. After Chris caught his can, LeBron threw two more at Amehiko and Sora, and proceeded to give more Sprite Cranberry to all who were present. A chorus of popping resounded in the air, everyone opening their sodas and taking a long sip.

“Amazing!” Amehiko marveled. The fusion of lemon lime and the tartness of cranberry melded together in a highly unique beverage. “Who knew they’d come up with this kind of drink.”

“You’re right,” Sora said in awe after his first sip. It was so good that he broke into haiku. “ _A snap and a hiss. A crisp, medley of flavors. On a winter night._ This is actually refreshing~”

As the two were enamored by their Sprites, Chris looked around at all who were present. Producer looked very pleased with the drink, and staff members were sipping on their cans in merriment as they also passed around buckets of KFC.

“Thank you, LBJ!” The commercial director said with glee, raising his drink and chicken wing in each hand.

LeBron just gave a wink, and soon the studio became a very festive party. As everyone drank up their Sprite Cranberry and chowed down on their KFC, Chris couldn’t help but smile. Joining with his dear friends, he took another sip of Sprite. Any troubling thoughts about corporate agendas melted away. Being together with those you care about was what Christmas was all about.

And with Sprite Cranberry in hand, it was perfect for the most thirstiest time of the year.


End file.
